The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Coning in aquifers is a common problem which includes, but is not limited to, air coning. Air coning in aquifers occurs when an aquifer supplying water to the surface via an artesian well, natural spring or pumped well, is in communication with air above. In those instances, air can cone downward into the aquifer and limit the amount of water being produced. Eventually, the air encroachment may be significant enough so that very little or no water is produced. Thus, air can cone downward and occlude the perforations decreasing and eventually preventing liquid production.
Some current methods which are useful to prevent or reduce unwanted air production include injecting a “blocking” or “plugging” agent that effectively blocks off or seals the desirable water zone. Various polymers and gels can been used for this purpose. Blocking agents may be injected into the formation in a non-swollen or a non-precipitated state. The blocking materials can swell or precipitate, thus plugging or blocking off the area from further air influx. The use of these materials may have some disadvantages, however. Such treatments may be rather costly and it is difficult to place the blocking materials to sufficiently seal off a large enough area. Furthermore, the blocking treatment may be ineffective when fissures or fractures are present in the aquifers. If clean-up of the materials is necessary, these materials may be difficult to remove. And in some cases, these materials may inadvertently result in permanent blocking or plugging of the desired production zone.
Because of the shortcomings of these various methods, new methods and improvements to control unwanted air flow into aquifers are needed.